Navy: Just The Facts

Navy has a storied football past

The U.S. Naval Academy's football history began in 1879 with a one-game season in which the Midshipmen tied the Baltimore Athletic Club, 0-0. After a two-year hiatus, the program resumed in 1882 and went 1-0 after defeating Johns Hopkins, 8-0. Only Rutgers and Michigan have played Division I football longer than Navy. Some things to know about the storied program:

Stadium: Navy-Marine Corps Stadium; capacity 34,000

Nickname: Midshipmen; Mids or Middies also used

Colors: Blue and gold

Current coach:Ken Niumatalolo, entering his ninth season with a 57-35 record.

Connecticut connection, Part 1: Five of the first 10 Navy football coaches (from 1893-1903) were from Yale, where they learned the game under Walter Camp. Only one [Bill Armstrong from Old Saybrook] lasted more than one year.

Connecticut connection, Part 2: Rick Lantz, a New Britain native and a 1964 grad of Central Connecticut, stepped in as interim coach late in the 2001 season after Charlie Weatherbie was fired. Lantz, who had been the defensive coordinator, went 0-3 and was not retained as coach. He was inducted into the CCSU Hall of Fame in 1999.

National championship seasons: One. Navy was awarded a share of the 1926 national championship after a 9-0-1 season. The Midshipmen were declared tri-champs with Stanford (10-0-1) and Alabama (9-0-1).

In the postseason: Navy has played in 20 Bowl games with a 9-10-1 record. The Midshipmen have played in 11 postseason games since 2003 — including the last three seasons. Navy topped San Diego State 17-16 in the 2014 Poinsettia Bowl.

The mascot: Bill The Goat. He was first introduced in 1893 and has been the official mascot since 1904. Bill XXXIII and XXXIV are the current mascots and are cared for by 15 "Bill Handlers" made up of five Midshipmen from the first, second and third classes.

Fight song: "Anchors Aweigh."

Army-Navy: One of the most famous rivalries in all of sports. Navy won the first meeting 24-0 on Nov. 29, 1890 at West Point. The game has been played annually since 1930. Navy leads the series 59-49-7 and is on a 13-game win streak vs. the Black Knights.